Eddie Hearn calls the Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Naoya Inoue fight a “fantasy fight” but doubts it will ever happen due to the weight difference between the two fighters.

(Photo: Sumio Yamada)

The difference in weight classes is an obstacle

Promoter Hearn believes that before “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) moves up to super bantamweight [122]Japanese star Inoue will now move to the featherweight category [126].

For this fight to happen, Bam will have to take a risk and move up to super bantamweight, which he can certainly do given his size. It would be a substantial jump in competition for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, and that would be the tough part.

Size-wise, Bam could easily move up to 122 now, as he looked like a full-fledged featherweight in the ring last Saturday night against WBC super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Bam dropped the 34-year-old Estrada in the seventh round with a body shot.

Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) has a rematch clause for the Bam Rodriguez fight, and Hearn believes he can apply it to force a second fight. If Bam wants to fight Inoue, it would make sense to get a rematch with Estrada and then move up to 122 to try and score a mega-fight with the Japanese star.

Bam’s Potential Jump to Super Bantamweight

“Jesse vs. Inoue is a fantasy fight. It’s also an amazing fight. You’re talking about a guy [Bam Rodriguez] who came from featherlight flyweight. He is currently a super flyweight and will definitely move up to bantamweight,” said Eddie Hearn Boxing in the match roomdiscussing the possibility of a fight between Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue.

“I’m sure he’ll move up to super bantamweight over time, but they’ll probably move on eventually, but who knows? If Inoue stays at 122 for the next few years, Jesse will meet him there. Yeah, probably a fantasy fight for now, but what a fantasy fight it would be,” Hearn said of the Inoue vs. Bam Rodriguez fight.

If Bam Rodriguez wants a fight with Inoue, he would be better off moving up to 122 pounds after a potential rematch with Juan Estrada. There are no substantial names for Bam to fight at 115 or 118 pounds that the American boxing public would take notice of.

At least if Bam fought Inoue now, it would be a substantial fight in Japan and the US. Bam would be brave to make this move now instead of two to four years from now.

“I think Bam dominated the first part of the fight, but then Estrada came back and got a knockdown. [in round six] and then he turned the fight upside down,” Hearn said. “Estrada was taking part in the fight, but suddenly the body shot was absolutely perfectly precise. He couldn’t get up, he couldn’t breathe.

Estrada looked skinny and emaciated before the fight and wasn’t in the best shape. 115 is no longer a good weight class for Estrada. He needs to move up to bantamweight or super bantamweight [118 or 122]and make his life easier.

“It was a stunning finish, a stunning knockout in a stunning fight, and the scorecards were crazy. I don’t agree with that, but it shows how close the fight was and how dramatic it was. I would have actually preferred the fight to end in a draw, but maybe we’ll see that next time,” Hearn said.

Estrada fought well at times, but was not consistent enough to defeat the bigger, stronger, younger Bam Rodriguez.

Teofim Lopez successfully defended his WBO super lightweight title with a 12-round decision Steve Claggett last night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami Beach, Florida. Judges Lisa Giampa and Efrain LeBron scored Lopez every round, and Steve Weisfeld sent Claggett back north in at least one session, scoring it 119-109.

While Lopez got the job done, it wasn’t a display that had her weightlifting competitors tossing and turning in their sleep. That said, the 26-year-old champion has a history of showing up at the right moments against the biggest names.

Canadian Claggett, 35, arrived as a reliable, world-class secondary operator whose style would be tailor-made for Teo, who struggled in February with the constant movement of Jamaine Ortiz. Instead, Lopez delivered a consistent, professional performance that lacked any stern spark.

Claggett needed little encouragement to keep going, mostly in straight lines, and while there was never any doubt who the winner would be, he managed to damage Teofimo’s face. Lopez later lamented the weight cut and hinted at a possible move to 147.

Another KO-less fight for Lopez, now 21-1 with 13 KOs. Steve Claggett suffered his eighth career loss, dropping to 38-8-2 (26 KOs). However, his story is positive.

Bouncing back from multiple defeats to finally earn a shot at a world title, the Calgary native, a staple of the Eye of the Tiger promotion in his homeland, was stopped only once, so expecting him to simply fold was perhaps fanciful in his courtship Lopez.

ESPN analyst Mark Kriegel scored it 119-109 for the defending champion and said he was “curious” about Lopez’s power. The winner celebrated with his customary backflip and even a few snow angels to show the kind of athleticism he’s sometimes lacked in the fight.

“He’s a tough fighter, I don’t think anyone should underestimate him,” Lopez growled after the fight.

In the main part of the lower card Robeisy Ramirez stopped Brandon Leon Benitez in the seventh round of a 10-round match. The former WBO featherweight champion rebounded after losing his title to Rafael Espinoza and is now prepared for a rematch with the Mexican.

Nico Ali Walsh avenged the only loss of his career by knocking out Sona Akale in six rounds. Walsh lost to Akale in the third round and needed the advantage of a knockdown, winning by one point on two cards.

MIAMI, Fla. — The little engine in his head slowed down. Plus, Teofimo Lopez Jr. a few years ago he gave up trying to control his anxiety. It is more reflective. He is more relaxed. He learned to tame the dim fear that gathered outside and grew with each fight.

That couldn’t have been more evident than this week as he prepared to defend his WBO/Ring Magazine junior welterweight world title against Canadian Steve Claggett on Saturday night at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.

It took some time, but Lopez Jr. likes his bounce. His easygoing demeanor has translated to the ring.

One of boxing’s most extravagant showmen put on a show, starting with a walk around the ring and ending with a Michael Jackson dance, wearing a white jacket with gold trim.

Lopez (21-1, 13 knockouts) finished the fight via unanimous decision, winning 120-108 on the scorecards of judges Lisa Giampa and Efrain Lebron and 119-109 on the scorecards of judge Steve Weisfeld.

“I’m definitely thinking about getting promoted. My legs, my body need to move to 147. I want Terence Crawford. This is the goal. I don’t know, I don’t care who belts 147 pounds. I just want a guy with The Ring belt, and that’s Terence “Bud” Crawford.”

Lopez landed a career-high 315 punches, averaging a career-best 26 punches per round, and landed 946 punches total, a career-best 79 punches per round.

“I’m really relaxed, I like where I am, I’m getting older, my son is getting older and I have to show what it means to be a good man,” Lopez said. “Maybe it was as simple as it sounds. Claggett is a tough guy. I have a lot of respect for him. But at the end they told him he fought, and I got tired.

“I was actually there. We had a game plan and we stuck to it. The guy was tough. I was aiming for a tough competitor. I knew this guy would want to test my abilities. He touched me for the sake of touching me. I wasn’t afraid of him. If there is anything you must include, a quote from Muhammad Ali, the will must be stronger than the ability.

“I’m definitely thinking about promotion. My legs, my body needs to move, I’ll go to 147. I want Terence Crawford. That’s the goal. I don’t know, I don’t care who has the 147-pound belts. I just want a guy with The Ring belt, and that’s Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.”

From the start, Claggett (38-8-2, 26 KOs) kept the pressure on Lopez. He kept coming forward, throwing punches. He might not have much control over them, but the punches were constant. Lopez absorbed as much as he could with his shoulders and arms. The clumsy and stick-thin Claggett kept burrowing forward.

The question is whether he will be able to maintain that pace for 12 rounds.

In the second round, Claggett tried the same tactic, trying to choke Lopez. It seemed like he was hitting Lopez with a million pebbles — not just one. Lopez was falling back, luring Claggett forward. Lopez landed most of his shots in the second round, although Claggett’s efficiency seemed to decline slightly.

In the third round, Lopez hit Claggett with a left hook early in the round, then caught Claggett with a straight right moments later. Lopez’s punches came with a thud that could be heard at ringside.

Lopez appeared to wake up in the third round, which was his best round at the time.

Lopez punishes brave Steve Claggett with a right (Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Lopez hit Claggett, who was looking down, with a left and then a right uppercut, knocking the Canadian’s head back.

In the fifth round, Claggett’s performance dropped significantly compared to the first four rounds. He continued to stalk Lopez, but didn’t punch his way through. Claggett seemed content to just touch Lopez at times, and his punches didn’t do much.

Using his left arm as a battering ram, Lopez ran straight into Claggett to start the seventh round. At this point, Claggett was throwing punches in succession, and Lopez was landing them with ease. He began to land punches on Claggett, and the tough Canadian could do little to stop him.

Claggett was brave. He kept moving forward, catching Lopez more than willing to sit on punches and engage. Lopez attacked Claggett with two rights to the jaw and then a right hook. Lopez made Claggett pay whenever he got close, especially with a steady diet of hooks.

In the ninth, Lopez continued his attack. He worked well on the levels, lashing Claggett’s flanks with right roundhouses and forcing his will behind the left shoulder.

Claggett performed purely out of courage.

But he was obviously getting a beating.

In the top ten it’s more or less the same. Lopez hits Claggett with uppercuts and Claggett takes them. Lopez ended the round with a violent attack that Claggett was unable to respond to.

In the final round, Claggett tried to come forward, though this time he was met by a hail of shots from Lopez. He was then peppered with shots to the body, then the left shoulder, then the right upper body.

Lopez finished the performance with a torrent of shots. When the final bell rang, both fighters embraced.

“I saw combinations from my son that I had never seen before,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr., Lopez Jr.’s father and trainer. “We knew we had to hit the body, and he kept coming. Claggett did an incredible job. He kept landing punches, but the frequency dropped because he had never dealt with anyone like my son.

“We are thinking about moving up to 147 pounds. We are still sturdy at 140, we made weight easily and he was sturdy at the end of the fight. But we want Terence Crawford. Facing Crawford will be a tough fight for him and I admit it will be a tough fight for us. I saw combinations today, but I never saw my throw. Crawford is a hazardous fight for him and for us.

“My son will be even stronger at 147. But we can stay at 140. If the fights are good, we can stay at 140. If we go to 147, we want to fight for titles, and these guys at 147 want to fight us. We got nothing from tonight. We expected to win, and we did.”

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